Coffee Ruining A Nation
By Dereje Hailu Kassa | 20 February 2008
( First posted on Ethioquest.com - October 15, 2002 )
As an Ethiopian it is not unusual to read any information related to the
nation as bad and depressive.
of Addis Ababa was really a shocking one to me.
observes his goats becoming friskier each time they eat the red berries of
a local shrub. Himself tries them and feels happier. And soon the Arabs
started roasting and boiling it for a beverage calling it qahwa. Today, it is
the world's most popular beverage that it's annual consumption tops 400
billion cups (Dennis Jjuuko, Kampala)
Despite the fact that it became a lucrative global business worth $55
billion a year, for more than a million Ethiopian farmers accounting for
nearly 15 million households, it is a burden that no one wants to carry on
any longer.
"I am standing on the ground where coffee was first grown." Said Abba
Milki 80, from Choche, talking to IRIN. "Our ancestors grew coffee, it
is ingrained in our history. But soon no one will be growing coffee
anymore in Choche. We can not afford to."
"What I don't understand is that people in your country drink it but I
receive nothing why should we grow coffee when all it does is ruin us?"
Others echoed his voice, "I have up rooted 200 of my coffee trees. In
the past we sold a kilo of beans for $0.55 and our children were in
school. I have 5 children, all of them are now out of school because we
can not afford uniforms or books. We can not even feed them." Said
Bogale Bersamo.
Belaynesh Kumal, a mother of 7 children told BBC "we are in trouble. In
the past we had coffee, now the price of coffee has fallen and we have
no food. I don't know what to do. I just sit in my home and weep."
Coffee accounts for about 60 percent of Ethiopia's export-and the price
which at it's 30 years low (having fallen by 50% in three years) is
hurting the farmers, who are being forced to sell their beans below the
actual cost of growing it. While coffee prices remain, high in shops and
cafes.
Back in the days, growing up in Jimma, I remember local farmers who
were comparatively well off used to provide seasonal jobs to other
disadvantaged farmers from places as far as Wello Northern Ethiopia.
Now, things dramatically changed, in the last few years the crucial
dollars secured from coffee have plummeted from US$257 Million to
US$149 Million per year.
" It is sad to see here, where they produce the best and highest quality
coffee in the world, they receive the lowest prices." said Liam Brady,
Oxfam's coffee Programme Coordinator.
In May 2000, an international panel of coffee experts for The Coffee
Review declared; "..An Ethiopian Harrar attracted the highest rating of
any coffee in the history of our panel cuppings..These ancient, subtly
powerful coffees, with their shifting, Kaleidoscopic nuance of wine,
berry and chocolate, are among the World's greatest and most singular
coffee experiences."(World Link: The magazine of the World Economic
Forum.)It is unfortunate that we were unable to capitalize on it, today
thanks to a campaign featuring a farmer called Juan Valdez, one of
advertising's most recognised icons,consumers associate Colombia with
savoury coffee.
Yes it is true that we have a lot's of job to do in order to change the lives
of our farmers, but i wonder where our politicians are? How many
people have to suffer or die before they set their priorities straight.
Recently, Oxfam launched " coffee Rescue Plan" aimed at urging
political and business leaders to take immediate action, such as
destroying surplus stocks and guaranteeing a fair price for farmers.
Their main targets are the " big four" coffee companies-Kraft, Sara-lee,
Procter & Gamble and Nestle - which they say buy nearly half the
world's coffee crop between them. "They know there is terrible human
suffering at the heart of their business and yet they do virtually nothing
to help" said Oxfam Campaign Director Adrian Lovett.
Ethiopia's Oromiya state Vice President Mohammed Alyi warned " unless
reliable solutions are sought the situation might get to the stage where it
is irreversible."
That scares me!
Peace Be Unto You All!!
Back to Editor's blog or Home page
By Dereje Hailu Kassa | 20 February 2008
( First posted on Ethioquest.com - October 15, 2002 )
As an Ethiopian it is not unusual to read any information related to the
nation as bad and depressive.
of Addis Ababa was really a shocking one to me.
- The most fertile and relatively
peaceful region of Ethiopia,
best known to the rest, as a
birth place of coffee. "..The
species is thought to be native
to Ethiopia, where it was
known before A.D.1000."(The
Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth
Edition. 2001.)
observes his goats becoming friskier each time they eat the red berries of
a local shrub. Himself tries them and feels happier. And soon the Arabs
started roasting and boiling it for a beverage calling it qahwa. Today, it is
the world's most popular beverage that it's annual consumption tops 400
billion cups (Dennis Jjuuko, Kampala)
Despite the fact that it became a lucrative global business worth $55
billion a year, for more than a million Ethiopian farmers accounting for
nearly 15 million households, it is a burden that no one wants to carry on
any longer.
"I am standing on the ground where coffee was first grown." Said Abba
Milki 80, from Choche, talking to IRIN. "Our ancestors grew coffee, it
is ingrained in our history. But soon no one will be growing coffee
anymore in Choche. We can not afford to."
"What I don't understand is that people in your country drink it but I
receive nothing why should we grow coffee when all it does is ruin us?"
Others echoed his voice, "I have up rooted 200 of my coffee trees. In
the past we sold a kilo of beans for $0.55 and our children were in
school. I have 5 children, all of them are now out of school because we
can not afford uniforms or books. We can not even feed them." Said
Bogale Bersamo.
Belaynesh Kumal, a mother of 7 children told BBC "we are in trouble. In
the past we had coffee, now the price of coffee has fallen and we have
no food. I don't know what to do. I just sit in my home and weep."
Coffee accounts for about 60 percent of Ethiopia's export-and the price
which at it's 30 years low (having fallen by 50% in three years) is
hurting the farmers, who are being forced to sell their beans below the
actual cost of growing it. While coffee prices remain, high in shops and
cafes.
Back in the days, growing up in Jimma, I remember local farmers who
were comparatively well off used to provide seasonal jobs to other
disadvantaged farmers from places as far as Wello Northern Ethiopia.
Now, things dramatically changed, in the last few years the crucial
dollars secured from coffee have plummeted from US$257 Million to
US$149 Million per year.
" It is sad to see here, where they produce the best and highest quality
coffee in the world, they receive the lowest prices." said Liam Brady,
Oxfam's coffee Programme Coordinator.
In May 2000, an international panel of coffee experts for The Coffee
Review declared; "..An Ethiopian Harrar attracted the highest rating of
any coffee in the history of our panel cuppings..These ancient, subtly
powerful coffees, with their shifting, Kaleidoscopic nuance of wine,
berry and chocolate, are among the World's greatest and most singular
coffee experiences."(World Link: The magazine of the World Economic
Forum.)It is unfortunate that we were unable to capitalize on it, today
thanks to a campaign featuring a farmer called Juan Valdez, one of
advertising's most recognised icons,consumers associate Colombia with
savoury coffee.
Yes it is true that we have a lot's of job to do in order to change the lives
of our farmers, but i wonder where our politicians are? How many
people have to suffer or die before they set their priorities straight.
Recently, Oxfam launched " coffee Rescue Plan" aimed at urging
political and business leaders to take immediate action, such as
destroying surplus stocks and guaranteeing a fair price for farmers.
Their main targets are the " big four" coffee companies-Kraft, Sara-lee,
Procter & Gamble and Nestle - which they say buy nearly half the
world's coffee crop between them. "They know there is terrible human
suffering at the heart of their business and yet they do virtually nothing
to help" said Oxfam Campaign Director Adrian Lovett.
Ethiopia's Oromiya state Vice President Mohammed Alyi warned " unless
reliable solutions are sought the situation might get to the stage where it
is irreversible."
That scares me!
Peace Be Unto You All!!
Back to Editor's blog or Home page
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By Dereje Hailu Kassa | 24, March 2009
" This writing is neither about the war in
Afghanistan, nor about the Canadian soldiers who
died there. It's rather about transparency and
accountability, above all a respect for human being.
Why these things are eroded in my beloved country,
where an opponent's life is dispensable?.... Home
By Dereje Hailu Kassa | 24, March 2009
" This writing is neither about the war in
Afghanistan, nor about the Canadian soldiers who
died there. It's rather about transparency and
accountability, above all a respect for human being.
Why these things are eroded in my beloved country,
where an opponent's life is dispensable?.... Home
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Somalia: Arms race Vs Arms embargo
" ...The first U.N. Security Council Resolution 733
which was adopted on January 23, 1992 a year after
President Siad Barre was toppled supposed to do
just that. For anyone who closely follow the
situation in Somalia, it is clearly understandable that
what is lacking is not a new resolution, More
" ...The first U.N. Security Council Resolution 733
which was adopted on January 23, 1992 a year after
President Siad Barre was toppled supposed to do
just that. For anyone who closely follow the
situation in Somalia, it is clearly understandable that
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Aid helped to avert disaster
By Dereje Hailu Kassa
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1984 and 1985, the last time Canada and the world
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Ethiopians lost their lives." More
By Dereje Hailu Kassa
February 19, 2002 | The Toronto Star ) - "In
1984 and 1985, the last time Canada and the world
listened to Khalif’s kind of advice, 1 million
Ethiopians lost their lives." More
